By BRUCE DENNILL
Speelgoed Van Glas, Nico Scheepers’ award-winning reworking and translation of Tennessee Williams’ English masterpiece The Glass Menagerie, has been performed in both English and in Afrikaans at the Baxter. Directed, translated and designed by Nico Scheepers, the cast includes Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Carla Smith, Ben Albertyn and Mark Elderkin. Elderkin discusses preparation for theatre work
In the lead-up to a new production, how do you prepare – physically, mentally and emotionally?
Depending on the job, the thrill and excitement of getting a role is usually replaced fairly quickly with a sense of fear and a mild panic. I think that this is something most actors go through at the beginning of the process. I spend a lot of time working on the script in various ways, reading, dissecting and trying to find something I can connect with. It’s a part of the process that I enjoy because everything seems new and fresh. Ideally I’ll spend as much time as possible working alone on various ideas before getting into rehearsals with the rest of the company. Sometimes a lot of those initial ideas are thrown out the window as rehearsals progress but I like arriving with a few ideas on day one.
What is the single most influential performance you’ve ever seen – the one that made you feel, “This is what I want to do with my life!”?
I don’t think there was simply one influential performance, theatre was a gradual and seemingly obvious progression for me. My mother took me to an amateur performance of The Phantom of the Opera at the Mbabane Theatre Club in Eswatini when I was five years old and that was where it all began. I went to the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School when I was nine and started performing in concerts when I was ten. After that I went to The National School of the Arts in Johannesburg where I had incredible drama teachers who encouraged me to keep going in this direction. We were often taken to see plays at The Market Theatre and the then Joburg Civic Theatre and my role models were almost all South African actors and directors whose work I had seen firsthand on stage or local TV and film.
What is your favourite aspect of the industry – be it specific people, parts of the production process, particular venues and locations, or something else?
It’s hard to pinpoint. Theatre, film and TV each have their own unique aspects that make them rewarding or fulfilling in some way. It generally comes down to the people that you work with. A collaborative medium requires a specific kind of trust in each other and the process itself, being brave enough to try something new or different without the worry of failure or judgement. If you’re surrounded by people with the same goal then the process can be extremely fulfilling. I like knowing that we’re all in this process together and that everyone has the same goal of creating the best product we possibly can.
What has been your scariest onstage or on-set moment so far (anything from forgetting words or cues to accidents or other unforeseen events)?
I’ve had a couple of scares but fortunately nothing too dreadful (yet). I’ve done a two-hander play where we had about ten days rehearsal and on opening night my fellow actor and I were seriously considering how we could hurt ourselves just enough to not have to perform that night but not do any long-term damage. The fear of having to go on stage was visceral and very real. Other than that I’ve been viciously assaulted by a plover while filming on a game farm when I walked to close to its nest and I’ve had a close encounter with an angry seal while filming on a boat at sea. I definitely feel a bit safer in the theatre.
Tell us about your current production and what makes your character interesting to play?
I’m currently playing Jim, the Gentleman Caller, in Nico Scheepers’ production of Speelgoed Van Glas / The Glass Menagerie. The production has toured to most of the festivals around the country – Woordfees, KKNK, InniBos and Vryfees – and is currently on at The Baxter in Cape Town. I only come onto stage an hour into the show, which has been a new experience in itself for me. Also, as Jim is English-speaking and he enters this established world of an Afrikaans family – literally into their home, it presents a really interesting dynamic to play with. Getting to work with an incredible cast – Anna- Mart van der Merwe, Carla Smith and Ben Albertyn – and being directed by someone of Nico Scheepers’ calibre over the past year has been a hugely rewarding experience. Getting to work on a project with this level of quality it makes it a truly inspiring experience.